Berberine is my first choice among agents with antifungal properties. People with, for example, colonic fungal overgrowth or small intestinal fungal overgrowth, SIFO, respond well to berberine when combined with other antifungal agents. (Because of the ability of fungal species such as Candida albicans to sequester themselves behind a protective biofilm and to acquire resistance to single agents, we combine berberine with other agents with antifungal properties, e.g., oil of oregano, clove oil, curcumin, etc.) We therefore typically use berberine for about 4 weeks to reduce fungal populations. (For my full antifungal regimen, see my Super Gut book or the Advanced Topic in my DrDavisInfiniteHealth.com Inner Circle.)

Others advocate use of berberine for its demonstrated benefits in reducing blood sugar, reducing blood pressure, reducing measures of fatty liver, even as an adjunct to chemotherapeutic agents against cancer.

But there is a major oversight in the use of berberine: its potent antimicrobial properties. Just as it is effective in killing off fungal species, it is also effective in killing off many bacterial species. This can be put to good use in reducing endotoxemia, i.e., the entry of Gram negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide endotoxin from colonic dysbiosis or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO. It is my suspicion that many of the purported benefits of berberine are really due to reduced endotoxemia, as this process drives high blood sugar, high blood pressure, fatty liver, and underlies initiating or expansion of multiple cancers. Reducing Gram negative lipopolysaccharide-containing fecal species in the colon and small intestine thereby leads to reduced release of endotoxin and reduced endotoxemia, a very helpful effect.

But berberine also kills or reduces beneficial bacterial species in the gut such as Lactobacillus reuteri, Bacillus subtilis, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, all very important species. Personally, I experience over-the-top effects with restoration of L. reuteri as L. reuteri yogurt or as a probiotic, effects such as profound deep sleep, restoration of youthful musculature and strength, and improved skin appearance. The times I’ve taken berberine (often as a product called Candibactin BR from Metagenics), I promptly revert back to chronic insomnia and experience a downturn in strength if taken for several weeks.

In other words, berberine is an effective antifungal and antibacterial agent. Taking berberine chronically to say, reduce blood sugar, would be like taking an antibiotic like amoxicillin: yes, it will kill E. coli causing a urinary tract infection or Streptococcus pneumoniae causing an upper respiratory infection, but it will also kill off probiotic/beneficial species of Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and others.

Use berberine when you must for its antimicrobial benefits, but don’t fall for the arguments that fail to factor in its potent antimicrobial effects.